Jane Goodall/Transcript
Transcript Text reads: The Mysteries of Life with Tim and Moby. Tim and Moby watch a chimpanzee at a zoo. MOBY: Beep? TIM: I don't know, they're kind of creepy. They're so much like people. Tim reads from a typed letter. TIM: Dear Tim and Moby, My biology teacher mentioned a scientist called Jane Goodall in class today. Can you tell me more about her? Thanks, P.J. Well, Jane Goodall is one of the most famous scientists of the 20th century. An image shows Jane Goodall. TIM: She's a primatologist, a scientist who studies monkeys, apes, and other non-human primates. An image shows a baboon, an ape, and a monkey. TIM: Jane Goodall was born in London, England on April 3rd, 1934. An map shows London, England. TIM: She'd always loved animals and Africa, but as a woman, she didn't have many options for working with them. Nevertheless, she traveled to Kenya in 1957, hoping to establish a career. A map shows Kenya. TIM: Her big break came when she was hired by a celebrated archaeologist named Louis Leakey! An image shows Louis Leakey. TIM: With his help, Goodall began studying chimpanzees in Tanzania. A map shows Kenya and Tanzania. TIM: During that time, she had her first taste of living with chimpanzees and studying their social and family life. An image shows Goodall observing two chimpanzees. TIM: When she returned to England in 1961, she began working on a doctorate in ethology, or animal behavior, at the University of Cambridge. An image shows the University of Cambridge. TIM: After that, she returned to Tanzania and her chimpanzee friends! An image shows a group of chimpanzees. TIM: At first, she could only watch from a distance using binoculars. An image shows Goodall looking through binoculars. TIM: But as the chimps got used to her, she was able to come closer and closer. An image shows Goodall sitting near the chimps. TIM: Goodall ended up observing the same group of chimps for 55 years. Because they were so comfortable having her around, she was able to make a lot of really cool discoveries. MOBY: Beep? TIM: Well, one of the first was that chimps use tools! They'll twist grass or strip the leaves from a twig to poke a termite mound. When the termites grab on, the chimps pull their sticks out and snack on the insects. An animation shows a chimp using a twig as Tim describes. TIM: Before Goodall observed this, people thought that only humans used tools. An image shows men using axes and a bulldozer. TIM: She also figured out that chimp groups wage war on each other, something else that only humans were thought to do. An animation shows a chimp in a group raising his arms and throwing fruit at a chimp in another group. TIM: So, her discoveries actually redefined what it means to be human. An animation pans across a diverse group of people of different sizes, ages, and ethnicities. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Right. Well, one thing that she did that a lot of people criticized her for was to give the chimps she studied names instead of just numbers. Her critics said that she was getting too attached to her subjects to observe them objectively. But she insisted that animals have separate personalities and emotions. An image shows four chimps, each with a different facial expression. TIM: She's written a lot of books, including The Chimpanzees of Gombe: Patterns of Behavior, which summarizes her decades of research. An image shows the cover of ''The Chimpanzees of Gombe, which features an image of three chimps socializing.'' MOBY: Beep. TIM: Yeah, Goodall's time with the chimps made her really concerned for them. Lots of great apes, or large primates, are endangered because humans are destroying their habitats. An image shows a chimp in a tree watching a man cut a tree trunk. TIM: So, in 1977, she founded the Jane Goodall Institute for Wildlife Research, Education and Conservation, a group that helps improve and conserve the environment for everyone: humans and animals. Goodall's work to protect the environment and animals has earned her a bunch of awards. In 2002, she became a United Nations Messenger of Peace. An image shows the United Nations logo. TIM: And in 2004, she was named a Dame Commander of the British Empire, the equivalent of a knight! An image shows Goodall shaking hands with the Queen of England. TIM: Goodall is still active today, lecturing and promoting conservation and education about the environment all over the world. An image shows an older Goodall in front of a pair of microphones. MOBY: Beep. Moby points to the chimp who's scratching his head. Moby laughs. TIM: He does not look like me! The chimp makes monkey sounds and is dressed in Tim's clothes. He stands next to Moby. Moby giggles. MOBY: Beep. Category:BrainPOP Transcripts